


Delaney

by Blackpenny



Category: Blake et Mortimer | Blake and Mortimer
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 08:24:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4599738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackpenny/pseuds/Blackpenny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Colonel Olrik of the Blake and Mortimer comics survives everything from brainwashing to atomic bombs. He flies planes! He drives (?) ships. He speaks a dozen languages. He does everything from espionage to jewel thievery. Surely there're a few people who help him from time to time. Thomas Delaney is my original character, a shadowy figure who provides Olrik with a helping hand when the the crime is in England.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Opportunity

When Thomas Delaney is faced with a setback, he thinks of his favorite historical figure. Thomas Cromwell was of low birth and rose to the king’s right hand through hard work, cleverness, and sheer nerve. It’s an inspiring career for the son of a widowed Portadown street cleaner. Something to keep in mind, however, is that Cromwell’s king was the mercurial Henry VII and Cromwell’s downfall and death has been fairly described as a judicial murder.

Back when he was merely a brilliant student trying to escape small town life, it would never have occurred to Delaney that having too much could be a problem, never mind his problem. He had literally starved in a garret. He had pawned his winter coat to buy law books. He had endured the snobbery and contempt of his fellow students while writing cheerful letters home to his worried dad.

These days Delaney lives high on the mountain, where the views are spectacular and the air is thin and intoxicating. He, scraggy Tommy Delaney, has an almost painfully tasteful house in Hampstead and a cottage in Surrey. Influential people angle for invitations to dinner. Actually, they approach Angela for that. To this day Delaney is amazed that he managed to attract and marry such a clever, devoted woman. They have two improbably attractive children installed at fine schools. Neither has inherited the cleverness of their parents, much to Delaney’s relief. Dad lives in a neat little cottage with his own garden and brags about his son every night at the pub. Delaney’s name is the fourth in his firm’s name, but everybody knows he has the power. He is respected and even a little feared by his peers. Delaney has everything he’s ever wanted and he’s terrified of losing it.

It started with a routine real estate transaction in Delaney’s fourth year with the firm. He wasn’t a partner, of course, but he was already taking over key responsibilities as the old members grew tired or complacent. The buyer was working through a third party and there was a bit of mystery to the whole thing, so Delaney made a point of delivering the final papers himself rather than using a messenger.

As he’d hoped, the new owner was inside the tenantless block of flats. Delaney’s first thought was, “Christ above, we’re the same age and he’s buying a whole damned building.” Of course, he’d thought it while smiling. The man introduced himself as Alex Templeton, thanked Delaney smoothly for the papers, and asked him to stay until he’d checked them.

“I’m new to business and may have questions, if that’s convenient to you.” 

“Of course, Mr. Templeton.” Delaney had long since removed the obvious class markers from his speech and upgraded his accent, but he still felt uncouth and badly dressed when confronted by men like these. Everything about Templeton was slick from his patent-leather hair to his gleaming shoes. He was handsome in a hard-featured way, tall, but not gangling, like an athlete, in contrast to Delaney’s scarecrow build and towering height. “Saville Row can make anyone look good,” Delaney told himself. “As soon as I can manage, I need to have a suit tailor-made, maybe in that charcoal. No, don’t copy; find colors that work. Consult a professional.”

“Everything looks in order as far as I can tell.”

“We were very careful, Mr. Templeton, but if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to telephone.” Delaney handed over his card. 

“I will do that. I understand you did most of the actual work on this deal.”

Delaney had not yet cured himself of the habit of blushing. “You’re too kind, sir. If it’s not too intrusive, what do you plan to do with the building?”

“Oh, not at all. I plan to renovate, bring everything up-to-date, and rent out the lower two floors. The top will be for me when I’m in England. I travel a great deal on business.”

Delaney had the fleeting thought that Templeton might be foreign, despite his perfect English.

“If I can help in any way, don’t hesitate to ask.”

To his great surprise, Templeton had asked, and Delaney ended up handling much of the business from hiring contractors to engaging a rental agent. By the time Delaney realized the true identify of his client, the business relationship was established and disengagement would have hurt the firm too much. There might have been police involvement, accusations, unpleasantness. So Delaney told himself at the time.


	2. Meditation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So what do you do when you find you're working for a notorious spy/gangster/smuggler/thief? You either get out, or you find a way to roll with it.

Nobody is in a position to second-guess any of Delaney’s decisions these days, but if forced to, he could make a case for why the firm worked for Colonel Olrik and his associates.

1\. Plausible deniability. There are no witnesses to any face-to-face meeting between an employee and the colonel.  
2\. The firm has never done anything actually illegal on behalf of the colonel or his associates.  
3\. If every lawyer who worked for a criminal were sanctioned, there would be no lawyers at all.  
4\. The money is very, very good.  
5\. That money is paying your houses, dental work for your kids, fur coats for your wives.  
6\. It’s too late to turn back.  
7\. Think of the money.

Delaney doesn’t spend all his time thinking about the colonel, of course. He has a full, busy life filled with wonderful things. Most of their interactions are by telephone, letter or third parties. No other members of the firm or contracted staff have ever met with Olrik, only Delaney himself. Angela probably knows, but she has given no sign at all.

Over the years Olrik has become both more human and more monstrous in Delaney’s eyes. After that bizarre incident with the Septimus Ray they’d met in a Bromley pub. Olrik has been in a fragile state, hollow-eyed and shaking in stolen clothes, but his cold, focused anger had terrified Delaney. Once, Delaney picked him up in a Scottish meadow, unshaven and smelling faintly of smoke. Five days later a cases of choice wine and brandy showed up at the house with a note that said only, “Thank you – CO.” Three years ago at Christmas, Olrik sent the family a massive treat hamper. Two weeks later there was an urgent call to send money to a German address later raided in an arms-smuggling investigation. More than once Delaney was sure the colonel had perished and was torn between regret and relief. Yes, Olrik is a horrible human being with a near-supernatural ability to evade consequences. On the other hand, it’s thrilling to watch someone bounce back time and time again against incredible odds. And there’s the money.

Meanwhile, Delaney has grown richer, more powerful, and more assured, at least in the eyes of the world. His partners and staff respect him. His wife shines in hospitality and charity work. His children are soft-spoken, confident, and well-liked. They will make good marriages and produce beautiful grandchildren some day. What would these people think if they knew about the colonel?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Olrik would never admit to having friends, but he appreciates loyal associates to a degree.


	3. Calculation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adventure is all very well, but when one hits middle-age, one thinks of security, pensions, old age, etc.

When Delaney gets word that Olrik is headed to Japan, he immediately renews the acquaintance of a few lawyers in Tokyo and Kyoto with whom he’s done business. They in turn point him to less savory types who are willing to do business with a foreigner. Delaney has a feeling that this mission won’t go well. The last time they talked, the Colonel seemed tired and rather distracted, not in battle condition at all.

Sure enough, there’s a call two weeks later, in the middle of the night. Olrik needs a rescue, medical attention, a hide-out. Delaney arranges everything from home before Angela rises for the day. He feels oddly guilty, as if he were responsible for his client’s misfortune. Perhaps I should have warned him, but would he have listened?

Later that day the news breaks that the notorious Colonel Olrik and his henchman Michael Sharkey have been killed in an explosion. Captain Blake and Professor Mortimer are once again the heroes of the day. Delaney sighs inwardly. How many more times will those two cross paths with his client? How many more close calls can his client survive? If he were to advise the colonel frankly – which would never happen – he’d suggest immediate retirement. Delaney imagines himself delivering a lecture: “My dear sir, you must consolidate your assets, and lay low. Take up golf. Take up knitting. Stay out of range!” Would he be shot or laughed at for his trouble? He thinks of Thomas Cromwell, whose advice was so missed after death.

When the letter comes, Delaney almost laughs out loud in his office. It’s written on letterhead from a Kyoto hospital. In brief: Olrik wants out, help needed. Good lord, where to send him? Perhaps the United States of America is far enough away, or better yet, Australia. The relief is such that Delaney seems almost giddy for the rest of the day. His secretary of twenty years wonders if he’s had too much wine at lunch. 

Delaney thinks on the matter for two days before issuing instructions for Olrik to draw up several lists: skills, contacts, international holdings not already in the portfolio, countries where he might want to settle, countries which are off-limits. He reserves a place for Olrik at a discreet Swiss rest home where the colonel can recover from his most recent trauma. Switzerland isn’t quite far enough away, but it will do for now.

“Just stay quiet until I can arrange a safe landing for you, you mad bastard,” Delaney thinks as he calculates the worth of Olrik’s assets. He and the colonel have benefited each other over the years, but it’s time to cut loose. Delaney can hardly believe that he’s been granted this opportunity. What if Cromwell could have banished his king?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Olrik survived The Three Formulas of Professor Sato. I will die on this hill. Incidentally, Thomas Cromwell is a fascinating historical character. I recommend Thomas Cromwell and the Common Weal and Wolf Hall.

**Author's Note:**

> Self-made people are my favorite. I see Delaney as someone who's had to invent himself, just as Olrik has.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks to darkrogue1 for her aid and encouragement.


End file.
